Trusting God with the little things

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers. Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."  

Matt 17:24-27  NKJV

Have you ever felt that some things were not big enough to bring to God?  Maybe your tax bill came, or a car payment is due, and you think to yourself:  “this is not a spiritual matter, I don’t need to bother God with this.”  But this small event, tucked away in the gospel of Matthew, reveals to us that God does care about the little things. He cares about our tax bill, the car payment, getting our lawnmower fixed… just as much as in some of the bigger problems that we have.  Why?  Think about it:  There are many people who will come to your aid when you have a big crisis, but ask them for a small favor and they may say “I don’t have time.”  But if someone takes the time to help you in a small matter, it reveals that they really care about you – ALL THE TIME, not just when you are in a big crisis. 

I believe God cares about us ALL THE TIME!

 

Till the whole world hears...

Pastor Clay

Mustard Seed Faith

“…for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”  Matt 17:20

Many times we hear that someone’s prayer wasn’t answered because that person “didn’t have enough faith.”  So then we have to ask ourselves, ‘how much faith is enough?”  Or we wonder how we can grow our faith, so that we can “have enough faith.”  We think that perhaps some people just naturally have great faith, and other people just ended up in the shallow end of the faith pool.

But Jesus tells us “if you have faith as a mustard seed”…  God will do great things. If that is true, then what is mustard seed faith?  And… how do I get it?

Perhaps Jesus is trying to get us to see that the important thing is not the initial size of the seed, but what it can do when it is planted, watered, and grows. 

Join us Sunday as we explore another teaching moment with Jesus.

 

Till the whole world hears...

 Pastor Clay

Wait for it

Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."  Matt 16:28  NKJV

 

There is an interesting phenomenon that happened in the years after Jesus ascended to Heaven.  His disciples seemed to be certain that He would return at some point in their lifetime and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Accordingly, they lived their lives with the hope of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.  They gave all they had, sacrificed, most of them going to their death, with the hope of Christ before them. They believed what Jesus had told them:

 

In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.    And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  John 14:2-3  NKJV

But, He did not return. Each of them lived, and died.  

So, what happened?  Did Jesus mislead his disciples?  Has He forgotten about us?  Is He too busy?  Thankfully not!  No, Jesus promised to return, and return He will, in the Fathers timing:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  Mark 13:32-34  NKJV

And the disciples certainly did not miss out on anything:  When they died, they went into the presence of the Lord!

But due to the strange and uncertain times we are in, the question continues to arise, “Are we in the last days?”  The answer is – YES…but!  Yes we are in the Last Days, as the “Last Days” began with the ascension of Jesus into Heaven.  But, there are many things that God has for mankind, up through the centuries, including now, that will bring the timing of His arrival to perfect fruition.  God’s timing is always perfect.  Things are happening rapidly in our country and our world.  Things that indicate to me that change is indeed coming; and it may not be the change people expect. Global governance is coming, and it only confirms the prophecies given about the world system that will arise.

But we need not fret or worry.  Our place is not to worry, but to live our lives just like the disciples did – as if Jesus might return any day.  Each day we are given is another opportunity to live out our faith, to touch another person with the love of God, to live for Christ.

 

Till the whole world hears...

 Pastor Clay

 

The Way of the Cross

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

Matt 16:26

 

 

Did you know that the average man will spend 100,000 hours of his life working?  100,000 hours – that is a LONG TIME! What do you get for that 100,000 hours?  Perhaps you build up some savings, put together some investments, acquire some real estate, earn a pension.

Some people are able to do exceedingly well in the course of a lifetime, building up huge amounts of wealth. Yet one thing is for sure:  We came into this world with nothing, and we will leave the same way.

So, what’s the point?  Why should we work so hard, when at the end we are no better than the guy who sat around and watched grass grow?

When Jesus made the statement “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”, I don’t believe He was advising us to sit around and watch grass grow.  He was leading into another incredible point of awareness, which is this:  This world we live in is only temporary. But there is another reality, an eternal reality, and what we do in this life has a direct bearing on our place in that eternal reality. 

You can work your entire life and build up great riches and wealth, but in the end if you are not connected to the eternal reality of God, it will mean nothing!

So, “great” you say, “how do I get connected to this eternal reality?”  There is one way, and one way only.  But this way is not popular.  This way is not easy.  This way will not be readily accepted by the world we live in.  What is that way?  It is the way of the cross, where Jesus died for us, and where we must take up that cross, and follow him.

Join us Sunday morning, as we explore The Way of the Cross.

 

Till the whole world hears...

 

Pastor Clay

 

CCW Beach Baptism!

Calvary Chapel of Wilmington Beach Baptism
Wrightsville Beach, NC June 29, 2009




*video and editing by Matt Meehan

Let Freedom Ring

Hey everyone, I am sitting here on a Thursday morning, recovering from a late night at the youth concert last night. What an awesome night it was, there must have been 200 kids, 4 bands, and those kids had CHURCH! I was very cool. I just sat back in the sound booth and watched God work in a very – let us say – loud way!

While I watched the kids worship God in their own unique way, God spoke something to my heart. He showed me a comparison: In our church we worship with a music style that resonates with the adults of our church (hence their attendance!). It is somewhat like the music we grew up with, and it ministers to us. It is a style that we can freely worship to. For us, the organ / choir / hymn style just doesn’t resonate with us in the same way.

Well guess what – our worship style is like the organ / choir / hymnal style to today’s kids. It just doesn’t quite resonate with them the way it does for us. What resonates with these kids is something totally different. It might seem a little radical to us, but I am sure that some people think that our worship is a bit much. We were free to develop our own worship style, and so should our youth.

That is what “Freedom in Christ” is about. Being free to love God, love others, and be loved, in a way that can be totally unique. God is not looking for all Christians to be the same – He created each and every one of us unique and beautiful in our own way. Nothing in the bible tells us to be uniform.

What the bible does tell us is that our primary calling is to #1 Love God with all of our heart, and #2 to love others. The bible calls on us to have unity in the church – not uniformity. We are to be unified in our love for God, our love for others. We are to be unified in our pursuit of a relationship with God. We are to be unified in spreading the message of God’s love to others.

That is the beautiful tapestry that is the church – a bunch of really different people, embracing one another, and joining forces with the Living God to reach out to a hurting and dying world. That, my brothers and sisters, it true freedom!

"Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:34-36


Till the whole world hears...

Pastor Clay

Are we a Christian nation?

A while back our president traveled to Turkey, and proclaimed in a speech that "we are not a Christian nation." Really? Listen to Congressman Forbes response. You won't see this on CNN.